Coupling apparatus for electric circuits.



No! 827,988 PATEN'TEDAUGJ, 1906.

P. NIEDBRLANDER.

COUPLING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS APPLIOATION'FILED sEPT. 2.1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: "wen-run,

No. 827,988. PATENTED AUG..7, 1906, N. F. NIEDERLANDER. COUPLING APPARATUS FOR ELEGTRIG CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2.1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Cfrvs mgf 7 WW8 "t W Mi WWW w messes N0.-827,988. PATENTED AUG. 7, 1906.

N. P. NIEDBRLANDER.

COUPLING APPARATUS FDR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED sm T. 2. 1902.

a sums-sum a.

UNITED STATES rarnnr curios.

NICHOLAS F. NIEDERLANDER, OF SIQ LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE AUTOMATIC AIR A: STEAM COUPLER COMPANY, OF- ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GOUPLING AFFARATUS FOR ELECTRICCIRCUITSQ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7, 1906.

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Be it known that I, NICHOLAS F. NIEDER- LANDER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupling Apparatus for Electric Circuits, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

- This invention has reference to coupling apparatus forconnecting electrica-Lcircuits extending through a train of cars, and for making such cou lings automatically, and for permitting the reaking of the same automatically, in order to avoid danger to the trainmen incident to the necessity of going between the-cars and connecting or disconnecting such electrical contact connections.

' The first of the objects of this invention is the provision of such automatic coupling aparatus for electrical contact connections which will be secure, which will not be inter fered withby the elements, which when it comes into contact, will have a kind of rubcars come together,

bing action the one contact bearing against another, so as to make better electrical connection, and which will make an automatic coupling and also an automatic disconnection of the contact with certainty and facility.

In carrying'out my invention, I apply as a gathering device, the means used by me'in devices heretofore known in the art, as in my Patent No. 582,67 2, comprising essentially two heads designed to engagewith each other by means of contact surfaces which are laterally disposed relative to theheads, that is which are in a plane extending longitudinally of the line of draft of the cars, and in combination with which I use spring devices, or other equivalent means for holding the heads in contact, such spring devices being so disposed that in conjunction with suitable inclined faces on the coupling heads the two are brought into contact automatically when the and so guided, that they register properly, so that the contact points will rub one upon another'as the two coupler heads slide-one past the other into coupling position. v

In order that the gathering mechanism referredto, which itself is not new in this application, may have freedom of vertical movement, as well as freedom of movement laterally to accommodate the different movements of the cars, the heads are mounted as heretofore known by devices having support from a bracket which may be an independent bracket attached to the car itself, or attached below one of the coupler heads of a Master Car Buildcrs coupler, .as shown in the accompanying drawings, the bracket having a verticall disposed slot in which the coupling head is free to move up and down, and within which the head has a freedom of movement laterally to a certain extent, while it is at the same time held in position by means of the yieldiiig resistance 25 disposed in the inner side of the vertical slot.

In order/that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe ing drawings which illustrate it in pre erred form, and in which v Figure 1, is a side elevation showing two M. O. B. couplers with automatic cou ling apparatus attached to the under side t ereof, embodying my improvements.

Figure2, is a horizontal sectional view of part of the apparatus shownv in Figure 1, the section being taken on. the line (2), of Figure 1.

Figure 3, is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus showing a view of the coupler heads interlocked and,

on the line (4), of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly will be seen that to the under side of two M. O. B. cou ler heads marked 5, I attach by means of brackets 6, the supporting pieces 7,

9, in which are loosely carried the rear portions of the springs 10 held forward by pushers 25 in housligs ,24 on the bracket, as

shown. The forward portions or outer parts the spring 10, and the incline '12 arranged as Figure 4, 1s a partial'sectional view taken whereof, are secured to the headi1, as shown,

the same in connection with the accom anyto Figure 1, it i secured by bolts in slotted openings 8, to the brackets 6, and provided with vertical slots .ed to carry contact shown, all taken together constitute what 1 s1 anism, that isthe mecl parts of the gether with the coupling of the ears, guided or directed, to aposition where the several corresponding surfaces and devices autoinaticall y come together into proper register. As shownin Figure 4, the main portion of the head 11, carries the arrangement of port openings .13 which may be used' for air brake or other train. Below the central portion of the head, '1 have arranged what maybe termed a sub head or downward extension 14 on each of the half couplings, the sub head being adaptconnections comprising the electrical contact. lug 15, constructed to permit movement of ti ie plug-inward and outrelative to the head,

ing electrical contact connection with a companion plug of another half cou'pler,such means being designated by the numeral 17, and in the drawing shown as a spring within the insulating housing 16, the plug 15 having secured .to it an electrical connecting cord or cable 18, said cable being made with a turn as indicated at 19, whereby flexibility or eedom of movement of the lug is secured without the necessity of any s iding electrical contact between the cable and th hhe insulation surrounds the cable'18, as s sl insulatin housing 16 t tion of t e plug.l5, being sufficient so t at when two companion heads are brought to gether, the coupling plugs W'ill lllb upon each other by the motion of the cars, so as to make a sliding contact which will brighten the surfaces, and introduce less resistance to the current, than if the by a mere directly abuttin engagement. e two heads are eac formed withv a a tongue 22, the being arranged to register with a correspondin groove and ten e on a companion coupler head when the evices are coupled, substantially as already shown in the prior patent heretofore issued to me.

olil the tongues and grooves referred t fluid conduit throughout the re amount of pro'eccontact was formed iall hereinafter call the gathering mech-- lanism whereby the I against each oth coupler as they are brought tonections, the rubbing or sliding contact being are I secured by the inclines 23, formed in connec- I contact plugs, regardless l with an 0rd same time 1 coupler head yleldingly or, so as to make good contion with the tongues and grooves referred to The operation of my invention is as follows: When two cars are run together in the act of coupling, the coupler heads slid'e t0- gether, with their corresponding lateral faces ]I1 contact, and the springs 10 the opposite coupler heads, in a'manner clearly shown in Figure 2, and are brought by means of theguiding surfaces 12, shown in Figure 1, in properregister, so that the contact plugs 15, will come together in the proper place. After the cou ling is made the whole device forms practical l r a continuous or solid head which will secure and maintain satis factory electrical connections between the of any vibratory or of the cars, or an pass around oscillating movement jerking or stretching, couplerdevices in the train, since all of such movements are taken care of by the gathering mechanism and the vertically movable mounting of the same already referred to.

Having thus described. my inventiom'what claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is-

a simisliding as de- I 2. In an automatic electric coupler the combination with supports and gathering mechanism therefor, of a coupling head, a contact plug resiliently mounted therein for move ment independent of the head, across the line of draft of the car, and gathering mechanism adapted to connect and disconnect the plug from a similar one on a complementary coupler by a sliding movement thereon, substantially as described. v

3. An automatic coupler comprising a coupler head, gathering mechanism therefor, an electrical contact plug, an insulating housing for such plug constructed to permit movement of the lug relative to the head, means for yielding y holding the plug in position for electric ion lug of another half coupler, anelectric con .uctor 18' connected to said plug, and

'thesprings opening Wlll permit the l fleicible electrical connections between said conductor and said plug, described.

4. i In coupling'apparatus the combination urary car coupler of an auxiliary supported thereon substantially as or compression of the and having vertical play, the same bein proe 'vided with theair pipe couplings an combination of two coupler heads yieldingly and movabl y supported in position, and prov ded with automatic gathering means, each of said. heads being provided with spring pressed protruding electrical contact plugs,

and means to bring of said gathering devices, substantially as described.

6. in automatic electrical couplers the combination of two subsidiary coupler heads and gathering devices spring-supported to have lateral and vertical lay, each of said heads being rovided wit i as ring-pressed rotruding e ectrical contact-p ug mounted 111 a housing, whereby the slidmg of the two heads into position will make contact between I ing vertical play therein,

thein together in a slid mg movement into ]uxtaposition by means.

said plu s by sliding movement, substantially as gOI the purposes described.

7; The. combination with a car coupler head, of a depending bracket thereon, a combination air pipe and electric coupler head resiliently mounted in said bracket and havautomatic gathering mechanism for the latter head, and an electric eontactplug resiliently mounted within the head.

8. Acar couplerhavin a depending bracket, an auxiliary cou ler liead resiliently and movably mounte in'the bracket, havin an air pipe coupling and an electric coup in with a contact plug adapted to engage'an disengage by sliding movement -on a complementary head, and protruded from the head by a spring, and independently-movable therein.

NICHOLAS F. NIEDERIiANDER.

" Witnesses: 0.,0; ZIEGLER,

A. J. SENGOTTA. 

